Monmouth Ask The Doctor March-April 2019

F I N A N C I A L H E A LT H

2019 Brings You Better Retirement Savings Plans By Lauren Kolacki Saving for retirement is a big financial goal. If you are just getting started or looking for ways to increase your retirement saving, you can now put more into your retirement savings. The IRS raised contribution limits for 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans and the federal Thrift Savings Plan from $18,500 to $19,000 a year. If you have an IRA account , you can save up to $6,000, up from $5,500 last year — and if you have a SEP IRA (retirement savings account used mostly by small business owners and self-employed workers) you can contribute $56,000 in 2019, up $1,000 from last year. That $500 difference may not seem like a lot, but most Americans won't come close to hitting their limit. A worker making the median income of $31,099 would have to contribute more than half of their income to max out their contributions. This shows that Americans aren't maxing out their contributions. They aren't contributing enough in general to be comfortable for retirement and

many workers don't feel confident about retiring comfortably. Saving for retirement may seem difficult. But a little bit of money can go a long way, thanks to compound interest. The best rule of thumb is to invest as soon as possible, with as much as you can, to maximize return. Even if you don't have an extra $19,000 to put into your 401(k) next year, you can take small steps to increase your contributions. Most employers let you adjust your contribution amount any time. If your employer matches your contribution, try to meet their match. Most companies match contributions between 3% to 6% of your paycheck. If you're unable to meet the match, in- creasing your contributions by just 1% can make a huge differ- ence in the long run.

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